Sleeping FAQ: 3-4 Months – Daytime Sleep

At 3 months my daughter is being disturbed in the day by the household noise

My husband is away on business for 6 weeks, so I have come to stay with my parents. My home is in the countryside and it is very quiet outside. My daughter has become used to sleeping in a quiet environment. Our home is very soundproof and if I knew there was going to be some noise outside I would switch on some white noise in her room so her sleep was not disturbed. Now we are staying with my parents who live on a road with cars and lorries frequently going past. There are so many adults staying in the house that it is impossible for the house to be quiet all the time. She is sleeping well at night, as once into a deep sleep the noise doesn’t disturb her. However, it is proving impossible for her to get enough sleep by day, as it is either too noisy for her to settle, or a sudden noise will wake her up. My wonderful contented baby has become an overtired, crying wreck. It took two flights to get here so I don’t want to go back home early, but we have another 5 weeks to go, what can I do?

At present she naps from 7.30-8.10am, 10-10.15am, 12.30-1.10pm and 3.30-4pm.

In time, your baby would probably adjust to the noise level outside the house. But it will then be time for you to return home and she will have to adjust to the quiet again.

If you could set up a CD player in her room by day, try using some gentle, natural sounds to mask out the other noises which are disturbing her. This would be especially useful to block out the sound of traffic outside. There are plenty of cheap CDs around which have calming, soothing music with natural sounds in the background. Put them on at a moderate level before she goes down for a nap. If this is not possible, try tuning a radio to between stations get the “white noise” sound. This could help her, as it did it the past when you were home.

At this age her sleep cycles are more like that of an adult, so she will rise into a light sleep about 45 minutes of going down. Ask the other members of the household to respect her need for sleep and although they do not have to remain totally silent, at least ask them to try to not make any sudden noises during her nap times. Doors being banged shut are always preventable as are loud voices near to her room. If you explain to them that she will be a far happier baby in her awake times if she does sleep well, it might be possible to get her to settle better. Many adults think that a baby can sleep through anything. This is true in the early weeks once they are asleep, but as they mature they need more peaceful conditions to sleep well. Sudden, loud noises will disturb them as much as they would you. Depending where her room is situated in the house, noises such as dishwashers being emptied or pans being washed are sudden enough to wake her. Asking for cooperation with the other adults should help them be aware of her needs. Is there another room she could use by day to sleep in which is in a quieter part of the house?
Try to arrange to take her for a walk in her pram, especially over the long lunchtime nap every other day or so. This would prevent your daughter from beginning to associate sleep with the movement of a pram, but it would help her catch up a little. Possibly you could walk to a quieter area such as a park and enjoy some time to yourself whilst she sleeps there. Some mothers who do take their babies out at the lunchtime nap find draping a blanket over the pram or buggy helps their baby sleep well at this time. Using times out and away from the noise of the house and the road would be beneficial to you both, as it is very easy to become tense in a situation such as this and she could well pick up on your tensions and become unsettled herself.

5 weeks can seem like a very long time now, but your baby will begin to adjust to her new surroundings and with a little help from you, should be able to sleep better during the day.